Toji-sai (Frost Bytes)
by PeppermintTides
Summary: Marina and Pearl attend a winter solstice festival together. Marina is more nervous about it than she ought to be. [Written for the "Frost Bytes" winter-themed Pearlina zine. Set some time after the events of Splatoon 2.]


**Toji-sai**

Snow fell gentle over the foothills of Mount Nantai. Far from the noise and lights of Inkopolis, deep in the woods where trees replaced skyscrapers, the world lay quiet beneath winter's early night. That silence soothed Marina as she stared out the window beside her, watching blanketed trees go by as the packed bus navigated the narrow mountain road.

"How long 'til we're there?" came a drowsy voice from the next seat, and Marina turned away from the window to see Pearl looking up at her. The older woman was dressed casually in a thick flannel coat and toque, a contrast to the much more elaborate winter kimono Marina had commissioned specifically to wear tonight. Evidently, she wasn't quite as concerned about looking formal for where they were headed.

Marina smiled and leaned over to rest her head atop Pearl's. "It should only be a few more minutes. How was your nap?"

"Pretty good, 'cept this headrest is way too high." Still waking up, Pearl stretched in her seat and scooted closer to lay against Marina. Marina hid a giggle behind her sleeve and pulled her partner closer, idly massaging her neck to help chase any soreness away. "What about you? You been awake the whole ride?"

"We've only been on the bus for half an hour, Pearlie," Marina pointed out, though Pearl had doubtless noticed that she'd been too antsy to sleep even if she wanted to. Before that could come up, though, Marina's ears perked suddenly. "Wait, I think I can hear the festival!" Sure enough, the sound of distant drums echoed through the woods, quickly growing more distinct. It wasn't long before they spotted lights and houses through the trees and the bus arrived at its destination: a small village tucked into the hills, streets basked in orange lantern light and flooded with excited festivalgoers.

The bus's passengers filed out quickly, Pearl and Marina the last among them. The bus driver waved after them with a cheery _"Have fun at the solstice festival!"_ as they stepped out into the snow together. Immediately, Marina clung to Pearl's arm, both to stay warm and to help steady her own nerves.

"This place is busier than I thought," Pearl remarked, instinctively holding onto Marina's arm to comfort her as she looked around. "Nothin' compared to the fests they have in the city, but they really went all-out."

"Yeah..." Marina glanced about as the two walked through the village, her thoughts a mix of excitement and anxiety. The festival grounds were lined with all sorts of booths, some offering games or souvenirs to entertain the younger attendees while others handed out local-grown vegetables and handmade good-luck charms. The drums they had heard on the way in came from a stage at the village's far end, where Marina could just make out a pair of inklings in green and pink kimonos leading a group of children through traditional dance routines.

Everyone around her was upbeat and energetic, and the lights reflecting off of the snow cast the scene in a soft, comforting ambiance. It felt almost like a scene out of a daydream, walking through such a bright and warm celebration while holding on to her beloved. But she was holding on just a bit_ too_ tightly.

"Hey, 'Ri'a." Once again, Marina was snapped back to focus by her partner nudging at her side. Pearl spoke around a mouthful of food, clutching a half-eaten daikon from one of the nearby vendors. "You 'kay? You sheem kin'a shtre'ed out."

Marina realized quickly that she was clinging to Pearl with more than just her arms and felt her face flush as she pulled away the tentacles that had anxiously wrapped themselves around her partner's shoulders. "Sorry! Sorry. I'm… wait, is that how you're supposed to eat that?"

Pearl looked at the radish in her hand and shrugged dismissively. "Du'o," she said. "Pro'lly not." Gulping down what she had already bitten off, she stowed the unfinished veggie in her coat pocket and gently poked Marina's arm. "No dodging the question, though. What's buggin' ya?"

Marina frowned. She wasn't keen to talk about it in such a big crowd, but she knew it was better to explain herself than to leave Pearl wondering all night. Looking for a quieter place, she spotted a small pavilion with an empty bench a short distance away and led Pearl over to sit on it.

"So… what's up?" Pearl asked again once they were seated away from the noise. "Too many people? It's not too late to go back home and grab your headphones if you need 'em–"

Marina shook her head quickly. "No, it's not that. It's..." She hesitated, wary of eavesdroppers even as they sat away from the crowd. _«__There aren't any other octarians here,__»_ she explained, slipping into her native Octarian. She'd taught Pearl enough of the language to hold a conversation in case they ever needed privacy.  
"Huh?" Pearl cocked her head. _«__What is your point?__»_

_«__My point is… Toji-sai is an Inkling tradition. __Not an Octarian one__.__»_

_«__So? You always celebrate Squidmas with me, __and that is only an Inkling thing.__»_

_«__Yeah, but that's different!__»_ Marina frowned, fidgeting with the end of her longest tentacle just to keep her hands busy. _«__Squidmas is everywhere during the winter, you can't go anywhere without seeing it. The solstice festival is a way smaller event. What if they don't want people outside of the community joining?__»_

It took Pearl a moment to process what Marina was saying, but when she did, her face softened. She took Marina's hands in her own and clasped them gently against her chest. _«__You _are_a __part of our community, Marina. You have been living in Inkopolis for __five years. People love you.__»_

_«__You know what I mean. I'm not… I'm an Octarian. And people actually _know_ that now, ever since you convinced me to be open about it.__»_ Marina felt herself growing more tense despite Pearl's attempt to soothe her. _«__What if __someone sees me and thinks I'm trying to intrude on your traditions?__»_

To her credit, Pearl answered Marina's rising stress by growing ever softer in comparison. It wasn't often she'd let her gentle side be seen in public, but the quiet _shhh_s and _it's okay_s as her arms wrapped around Marina's shoulders did wonders to keep the latter grounded. _«__Marina, sweet, it is okay. __Nobody will think that.__»_

There was a moment of silence, Marina worrying that she'd start crying if she kept talking. Finally, she questioned: _«__How do you know?__»_

_«__I just know. This is a carnival for everyone.__»_ Pearl didn't seem to notice her flub, but it caught Marina by surprise enough to bring the tiniest smile to her face.

_«__...Carnival?__»_

_«__Caramel,__»_ Pearl incorrectly corrected herself. _«...__Ferris wheel. Tentacle?__»_ She briefly struggled to remember the Octarian word for _festival_ before throwing her hands up in forfeit. "Gah, you know what I mean."

Her exasperation drew a laugh from Marina, who wrapped her arms and tentacles around Pearl to bring her up into a quick kiss. "I do, Pearlie, I do. Thank you." Pearl returned the gesture instantly, long since accustomed to such casual affection with Marina.

"Of course, 'Rina. You know I always got your back." Nuzzling into Marina's neck and planting a kiss below her chin, she added, "I didn't ask to marry you for nothin', after all."

Marina's smile widened as she remembered the ring – a simple silver band, against Pearl's wishes for extravagance – that hid beneath the glove on her right hand. That ring was proof enough that she'd always have someone who accepted her, no matter how things went with the other inklings. Lost for words in the moment, she opted to answer with a hug, falling silent as Pearl snuggled affectionately into her arms.

The two stayed there together for a moment, the embrace only ending once Pearl felt the tension fully ease from Marina's shoulders. Slipping lightly out of Marina's arms, she stood up from the bench and linked her arm with her fiancee's. "Now c'mon," she said. "Let's go have fun while the party's still going!"

And they did. Marina's worries about being unwelcome gradually dissolved as inkling after inkling greeted her with warm smiles and open arms. Pearl allowed her to take the lead but stayed close by her side through the festival, letting her know that safety was within arm's reach if a single thing went wrong. Nothing did, though, and time quickly passed as the pair got lost in the celebration together. They played games, purchased souvenirs (Pearl earned a playful elbow to the ribs for calling a Mount Nantai snowglobe Marina had bought "tacky", but quickly relented to the octoling's pouting and admitted it was "a little cute, fine"), even sat down to watch a folk theater performance, despite Pearl struggling to pay attention to it.

Eventually, the festival began to settle, the lanterns seeming to dim as the night grew darker around them. A loud bell rang out suddenly, and it was then that the music and clamor died down as most of the attendees turned their attention to the center of the village. There, having waited patiently through the noise and excitement of the evening, the village's primary temple stood tall and proud over the surrounding buildings. Marina had caught glimpses here and there of shrine maidens walking about inside the temple, and now as she looked she saw them walking out in a lax procession, greeting their guests with smiles as they carried offerings to a table within a large plaza that had been marked out in front of the temple.

This was the part that had worried Marina the most; the festival ended with a public sermon, meant to commemorate the solstice and celebrate the coming springtime. Marina had seen that the inklings had no problem with her joining in on the secular part of their traditions, but would they be as receptive to her joining in the regional faith? Spirituality was something she had left behind deliberately when she fled the domes; she'd never felt comfortable with the way Octarian society allowed it to intertwine with their grudge against the inklings. Now, all these years later, would the inklings be willing to let her adopt their beliefs, or would she remain an outsider in that regard?

She looked to Pearl and was surprised to see her already looking back. The inkling squeezed Marina's hand and offered a confident smile_. You're going to be okay,_ it seemed to say. _I'm here for you._

The two women joined the crowd that had gathered around the temple plaza, navigating their way to the front so they could more easily see what was happening. Tall as she was compared to most inklings, Marina almost had to duck to stay beneath the thick, braided ropes that hung between wooden poles to mark where the ceremony was to take place. Eagerness and anxiety alike building in her chest, she watched intently as the shrine maidens prepared their table, went over each item on it with _ōnusa_, and then prepared to deliver blessings to the surrounding congregation.

All the inklings grew quiet then, hushed murmurs tapering off as they bowed their heads low one by one. Even Pearl, aloof as she typically was about things like this, doffed her hat and held it respectfully to her chest as she stooped down. Marina followed suit, but she could hear her hearts pounding in the silence. The sound of gently bristling paper grew steadily louder as one shrine maiden worked her way toward Marina's part of the crowd, and images filled her head of her being singled out, asked to step out of the crowd while the ceremony continued without her. When the gentle _crunch_ of wooden sandals in snow indicated the woman had stopped in front of her, Marina braced in anticipation of the worst…

...but nothing happened. There was no hesitation as the shrine maiden waved the _ōnusa,_ a symbol of spiritual purification for all who stood beneath the wand. She moved on wordlessly, and Marina exhaled a breath she hadn't noticed she'd been holding, prompting Pearl to scoot in closer to offer her silent reassurance. _See? You're okay, just like I told you._

The ceremony continued; after the attendees had all been granted blessings, it was time for a recitation of prayer. Marina already knew the gist of what to expect from this part – praise and thanks to local deities, wishes for prosperity in the coming season, expressions of gratitude for all those attending the ceremony – but she could hardly focus with her mind still reeling from moments prior. As soon as she recitation ended and all the gathered inklings raised their heads again, she let herself lean into Pearl's arms, hoping nobody would pay too much attention to them.

"Feelin' okay, 'Rina?" Pearl whispered as the crowd's quiet chatter started up again, leaning up to kiss Marina's cheek. "I got a tissue if you need it."  
Marina only noticed then that she'd started to tear up, and quickly wiped her eyes dry before anyone else could see. "Yeah," she whispered back, "I'll be alright. Thanks, Pearlie."

Pearl grinned, that typical half-cocky smile of hers that always managed to bring a similar smile to Marina's face. "Nothin' I wouldn't do for my octo gal. Love ya, babe."  
The pet name made Marina giggle. "Love you too, dear."

"Now c'mon," Pearl changed the subject, nodding her head toward the center of the plaza where the shrine maidens had begun lighting a ceremonial fire. "I've been waitin' all night to walk through the cinders after the bonfire. Let's go get in line before it gets too long!"


End file.
